Do You Remember Me?
by Em Pataki
Summary: Helga falls and hits her head. Arnold becomes irritated when she remembers everyone except for him. Rated T for one romance scene. I believe it's K.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Take Care Of Her

Arnold was walking Helga home one afternoon after their baseball practice. The streets were still a bit wet from the rain the previous day, although that hadn't stopped the kids from deciding to follow along with their plans for practice.

Helga was learning to become more comfortable with the idea of being open with Arnold in public. Not thinking about having to hide it from their friends allowed her to focus on her reputation without being distracted by any of his 'touching' movements.

As Arnold held Helga's hand down the street, with a goofy smile on his face, he listened to her say…

"Crimity football head! I can't believe how many times you struck out! Sheesh!"

"Well, it was just practice. It's not like it was an actual game." he replied, not caring about her hostility.

"That's loser talk! You better bring your A game next time!" she scowled, while he began to rub her hand, entertained by her aggressive attitude. It had gotten to the point where he found it a bit funny that she would still consider him to feel in any way threatened by her negative behavior.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed.

As they made it to her house, she scoffed "See ya later football head."

Before she could turn away, Arnold grabbed her to give her a long, lingering kiss. Although she was learning to become more comfortable with the idea of holding hands in public, there was something about the sweet sensation that came from the touch of his kisses she wasn't sure she would ever be able to get used to. Each one brought a new and exciting feeling that never failed to surprise her.

When Arnold was finished, he slowly pulled away to see her soft facial expression. The one he was one of the few people lucky enough to have the privilege of seeing. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." he smiled, holding a hand to her face.

"See ya tomorrow football hea...AHHH!" she screamed.

Arnold looked to see Helga had slipped in a puddle from yesterday's rainshower. She fell and bumped her head on the concrete before he was able to catch her. As he watched her lay there, he called out "Helga! Helga can you hear me?! Helga wake up!"

Helga slowly opened her eyes to see her boyfriend hovering over her. "Who are you?" she asked.

Arnold's eyes widened at the question. "I'm Arnold. I'm your boyfriend." he replied, sitting beside her on the ground.

"Arnold? I don't think I have a boyfriend." she said, standing up from the ground.

As Arnold helped her up, he thought to himself _This is probably just temporary. All she needs is to go inside and lay down._

Normally Arnold would knock on the door and politely wait to be invited in. He felt this was an emergency however, so he didn't hesitate to take Helga inside.

When the two of them entered the house, the first person Arnold saw was Miriam passed out at the counter. _I wonder if I should wake her? I don't want to be rude, but her daughter might have amnesia? She should know about this!_

Arnold then walked over to the counter to nudge Miriam. As he constantly shook her, he thought to himself _Helga wasn't kidding about how far gone she can be…_

Once Miriam finally budged, she jumped and said "Huh? What? I'm awake!"

Arnold stood beside Helga as he heard Miriam ask "Who are you?"

"I'm Arnold Mrs. Pataki. Helga slipped and hit her head outside. I'm worried she may have amnesia. I didn't want to leave her alone without knowing someone was here to take care of her."

As Miriam tilted her glasses with a tired facial expression, she replied "Oh okay umm...yeah just...just take her upstairs."

Arnold lifted an eyebrow, wondering if he could trust Miriam to take care of Helga after he left. Once he took her to her bedroom to lay down, he decided to sit beside her. Helga laid on the bed with a confused look on her face as she glanced at everything in her room.

"So you don't remember me at all?" Arnold sighed, running his fingers through her hair.

Helga slowly shook her head, wondering where she could have seen him before. While Arnold continued to stare at her with sad eyes, he suddenly heard a screech downstairs "I'm home!"

"That's probably your sister. I'll be right back" Arnold said to Helga, hoping she'd stay put for a moment.

Arnold went downstairs to see Olga putting groceries away in the kitchen. "Hey Olga."

"Arnold! Have you come to eat dinner with us?! I'm baking a yummy casserole!" she exclaimed, while Arnold began to rub his neck.

"Actually Olga, I kind of have some bad news."

"Bad news? Oh no! What is it!" she exclaimed, widening her eyes.

"Well, Helga fell and hit her head. I'm worried she may have amnesia. I was wondering if you could keep checking on her tonight. Hopefully, she'll be better in the morning." he guessed.

"Poor baby sister! Don't worry! I'll take care of everything!" Olga insisted.

Arnold knew Helga wouldn't like the idea of being taken care of by Olga, but it was better than trusting Miriam to look after her.

"Thanks. I'm going to check on her one more time before I go." he replied, heading towards the bedroom.

When Arnold made it upstairs, he saw not only was Helga still on the bed, but she had fallen asleep.

He walked over to her with his signature smile that always managed to bring a lovesick grin to her face. As he hovered over her, running his fingers through her hair, he bent down to kiss her softly. "See you tomorrow." he whispered. Although she would never admit it, he could swear he saw a smile come to her face after kissing her.

He then headed downstairs to see Olga still in the kitchen. "She's asleep. If you could just check on her every hour or so, that would be good."

"Don't worry! I'll take good care of my baby sister!" Olga insisted.

Arnold decided to leave before finding out what crazy things she had planned for taking care of Helga.

On his way home, he ran into Gerald. "Oh hey Gerald."

"Hey Arnold. What's going on man?"

"Well, Helga fell and hit her head." he began to explain.

"Again?" Gerald asked.

"Yeah, and she has amnesia...again." Arnold sighed.

"Mm, mm, mmm! Well, good luck buddy. You remember how much fun you had last time." Gerald teased, shaking his head.

"Thanks Gerald." Arnold sighed as he walked towards home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who's Next?

The next morning Helga awoke again in a strange room. She looked around to see herself in a pink bed she was unfamiliar with. She was surrounded by green walls with yellow hearts and a purple wardrobe. None of it seemed familiar to her.

As she sat up, taking it all in, she heard the door opening and watched a lady with blonde hair and a huge smile on her face approach. "Good morning baby sister! How are you?!" the girl screeched.

 _Baby sister?_ Helga sat there thinking to herself as a tray of waffles was placed in front of her.

"Uhh hi?" Helga said, unsure of who she was speaking to.

Olga placed a hand on Helga's forehead as she began to sniffle "Oh no! Is your memory not back? Oh this is just terr-terrible! Oh goodness!"

Nearly knocking the food over, Olga wrapped her arms around Helga for one of her obnoxious, suffocating hugs. As Helga gasped for air, she thought to herself _What is with her? I can't breath! Who is th…"_ The suffocating hug then triggered a mnemonic device in Helga's brain.

"Crimity Olga! I can't breath! Suck it up you big baby!" Helga scowled as she pushed her clingy sibling off of her.

"Helga! You remember me?" her sister sniffled.

"Yeah, yeah I remember...unfortunately." Helga said wittingly.

"Oh goody! Now eat up and get ready for school!" Olga insisted, while Helga glared at the food her sister had made for her.

After Olga had left, Helga sat on the bed and thought to herself a moment _School? I don't remember anyone there?_

Once she was as ready as she felt she could be, Helga headed downstairs and outside with her backpack. When she made it out the door, she saw another unfamiliar face waiting for her.

"Hey Helga." the blonde boy said.

"Umm hey." she waved in confusion.

"Do you remember who I am?" Arnold asked hopefully.

"Uhhh no. Sorry." Helga began scratching her head, wondering if he would do anything shortly to trigger a memory like her annoying sister.

Arnold frowned at the fact that her amnesia was still in tact. He took her hand, softly rubbing it as he replied "I'm Arnold, your boyfriend. I came to walk you to school."

Helga stood wide eyed, thinking to herself _I have a boyfriend? When did that happen?_

"Umm okay." she stuttered, continuing to let him hold her hand. She wasn't worried about who would see them. Afterall, she didn't remember anyone. Who could she have to be worried about judging her?

While the two walked hand in hand down the street, Arnold had to ask "So, did Olga take good care of you last night?"

It didn't matter how much of the previous night Helga remembered. Just the sound of her sister's name was enough to set her on edge.

"Pttss...Knowing her she probably acted as though I was on the verge of my deathbed and felt the need to act out every possible hospital stereotype known to man! Sheesh!" she scowled.

Arnold's eyes widened as he listened to the change in his girlfriend's attitude.

"So, you remember your sister?!" he asked anxiously, unintentionally gripping her hand tighter.

"Yeah, yeah I remember her. What a nutjob." Helga scoffed as they were approaching the school.

Arnold could see Helga's eyes begin to widen at the sight of all the students. He began to rub her hand once again and said softly "Everything's going to be okay. The kids are all really nice."

Helga was still uncomfortable, but continued to hold Arnold's hand all the way there.

As they were approaching the steps, he could hear Gerald spreading word about Helga's condition. _Oh boy...how big of a commotion will this cause?_

Arnold and Helga approached the steps where the rest of their classmates were waiting for them.

"Is it true? Do you really have amnesia again Helga?" Sid asked anxiously moving toward her.

"I reckon this won't be too fun for you Arnold." Stinky said, scratching his head.

"Last time this happened, she wasted a whole cup of pudding!" Harold reminded them.

Arnold took notice of the petrified look on Helga's face with all the staring eyes surrounding her. "Listen guys, I'm going to take her inside. I don't think she's ready to be around too many people yet." he explained.

While the majority of the students stood outside as long as possible, Arnold walked Helga to her desk.

"Here you go. This is where you sit." he explained.

Helga sat down, wondering when anything familiar would happen again for her. Just then, her best friend walked over.

"Is Helga doing any better this morning Arnold?"

"Well, she knows who Olga is, but that's about it." he explained to Phoebe, while seeing Helga roll her eyes at the sound of her sister's name.

While the rest of the students began to pour in, Helga heard what started as an unfamiliar voice.

"I cannot believe those sixth grade girls! Wearing those tacky scrunchies on their wrists! The least they could do is pick a color to match their outfits." Rhonda complained as Helga took in what was being said…

 _Who cares is they're wearing hair pieces on their wrist? Even more so, who cares about the color? It's like she's some sort of fashion freak!..._

Helga's eyes then lit up, remembering who she was listening to. "Oh suck it up Princess! No one wants to hear it this morning!"

The class then turned to Helga, wondering what made her memory of Rhonda come back.

"Helga, you remember Rhonda?" Arnold asked, surprisingly.

"The constant concern Rhonda has for another person's fashionable outerwear must have triggered a mnemonic device in Helga's brain." Phoebe explained.

After hearing such an intelligent explanation, Helga immediately turned to her best friend and said "Hey Pheebs, how's it going?"

While Phoebe smiled at the return of her best friend's memory, Arnold frowned at the thought of not yet having been remembered.

Mr. Simmons then entered the classroom to inform everyone it was time to take their seats.

"Class, class settle down please. Now, today we're going to be working on something very 'special.'"

Helga's eyes widened at the sound of this word. She then sat there thinking to herself _Oh brother, why did I have to remember this idiot?!_

While her memory was beginning to come back to her, Arnold sat puzzled in his desk. Leaning his head against his hand, he thought to himself _What can I do to make Helga remember me?_

Once the morning classes were over and it was time for lunch, Arnold immediately turned around to say to Helga "Ready for lunch?"

Helga looked over at Phoebe, hoping she would go with them. She still didn't remember anything about Arnold. "Uhh sure."

Arnold then took Helga's hand in his, hoping anything he did from that point on would trigger something in her memory.

When the two of them made it to the cafeteria with Gerald and Phoebe, they walked over to their regular lunch table.

Before Arnold sat down, he said to his friends "Watch Helga for me, I'm going to get us something to eat."

"Certainly Arnold." Phoebe replied, while Helga sat there thinking _Watch me? What kind of worry wart is this guy?_

After a few moments had passed, Arnold returned with a tray of food and handed Helga his tapioca pudding. He thought surely the idea of handing her his dessert would bring back her memory of him...it did not.

As he sat there waiting for her to say something that would encourage him to believe this wasn't permanent, they heard...OW! I'M OKAY!

Helga then set the pudding aside as she rolled her eyes and scowled. "Crimity! what is with this joker? Every day at lunch we have to…" Before she finished her insult, she stopped to realize her memory of another student had just returned… Eugene.

Arnold was beginning to grow a bit frustrated. Here Helga was eating the dessert he had bought for her every day for the past three years without remembering him. Yet, all it took to remember Eugene was three annoying words.

"Eugene? You remember Eugene, but not me?" Arnold couldn't help but say to her.

Before Helga could answer, Gerald shook his head at the question and said "Mm, mm, mmm!"

"Will you ever knock off that stupid mumbling…" Helga scoffed as she stared at Gerald, ignoring Arnold's question. No sooner had she said that, her memory of her boyfriend's best friend was coming back to her...but not her boyfriend.

A deep sigh released from Arnold. Helga was remembering half the class through the dumbest gestures. He on the other hand was walking her to school, holding her hand, showing her where she sat, buying her lunch… yet she wasn't familiar with any of it.

As Arnold was about to repeat his question, they heard "AHH! NO! I dropped my Mr Fudgey bar!"

While practically everyone in the cafeteria turned their attention to the screaming boy, Helga simply rolled her eyes and said "Will Pink boy just learn to eat off the floor? Crimity, he drops his lunch every freakin' day!" Helga scowled, triggering yet another memory.

Seeing the familiar sight of someone other than him come to Helga brought pain to Arnold's heart. He then got up to leave the cafeteria, not thinking about whether or not it was a good idea to leave Helga alone in her condition.

Gerald then got up to follow Arnold while Phoebe sat at the table, noticing Helga not seeming to care about her boyfriend leaving.

"So, you don't remember Arnold at all, Helga?" Phoebe asked.

Helga simply shrugged her shoulders and said "No. He seems nice and said he's my boyfriend. I have no memory of that ever happening though."

Phoebe appeared concerned. Not just for Arnold's feelings, but for how long this may last. For all they knew, Helga's condition may be permanent.

Once lunch was over, the kids all headed back to the classroom. As Phoebe watched Helga head for the room, she saw Arnold leaning against his locker, staring at the floor.

"Arnold?"

"Oh hey Phoebe." he said sadly.

"I understand your frustration Arnold. I must say, your only hope in this situation is by thinking of things to do with her you may feel would bring back her memory of you." Phoebe explained.

"Like seeing a movie or going out to eat?" he asked.

"It has to be something she would only remember YOU by. Something that makes you stand out to her specifically." Phoebe explained.

Arnold smiled at his helpful friend as he replied "Thanks Phoebe."

The two then walked back to class, as Arnold took his seat in front of Helga.

While they were sitting there, Helga opened her notebook to see drawings of the blonde boy in front of her. _What the heck are these? Did I do this?_

As she looked up, she saw a note being passed back to her. Although she found it a bit suspicious, she didn't hesitate to take it.

 _Would you like to come back to my place after school?_

Helga read the note thinking to herself _Should I? I mean, he is my boyfriend? I guess I should spend time with him if I'm ever going to remember him. I sure as heck don't want to spend more time with Olga…_

After making up her mind, Helga politely tapped Arnold on the shoulder.

 _Okay_

Arnold sat through the rest of the class period, anxious to know how the rest of the afternoon would turn out. He could only hope he could do something that would trigger her memory of him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: It Can Only Come From You

When school ended Arnold anxiously turned to Helga to help her out of her seat. "Hey Arnold, You wanna come to the arcade with us? I reckon we'll be there all afternoon." Stinky said scratching his head.

"Sorry guys, I'm going to take care of Helga. She needs me." Arnold replied, walking Helga into the hallway.

"What a bunch of idiots. That guy was saying reckon all day like some kind of hillbilly. Not to mention the dork beside him in the cowboy boots who wouldn't stop flipping out about when our next test was. Crimity take a chill pill…" Helga went on until her descriptions of her said to be annoying classmates brought back a few memories.

When Arnold saw the look in her eyes, he sighed and said "I'm guessing you know who they are now?"

"You mean grammar boy and frog frencher...yeah, they ring a bell." she scoffed.

As he continued to hold her hand he sighed "Still not me though?"

Helga gave a sympathetic look at her said to be boyfriend as she replied "I'm sorry Arnold. You seem nice. I just don't remember you."

"That's okay. Do you need to stop by your locker for anything?" he sighed.

"Well I…" she began, before being interrupted.

"Oh Helga. I'm just ever so sorry about your condition. I'm ever so certain you can call me for anything if you need it." Lila assured her as Helga did her best not to roll her eyes.

"Gee thanks." she replied, watching Lila walk away.

"I'm ever so certain I won't be…" Helga muttered as another memory came back to her.

"Looks like you remember something else." Arnold said.

"I remember who she is. I just don't remember exactly why she bugs me?" Helga explained, scratching her head.

Arnold lifted an eyebrow, feeling that was a bit strange. At the same time, he was relieved to not be the only person her memory hadn't fully returned on yet.

As the two left the building, they made their way down the street to see Nadine and Sheena together.

Arnold stared at them as he began to rub Helga's hand vigorously. How quickly would she remember them?

"Hey Arnold. Hey Helga." Nadine said.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Arnold asked, while Helga just stood and stared.

"Well, I recently informed Sheena of all the protein different types of bugs can have. She's helping me catch a few." Nadine explained while Helga nearly gagged.

"That sounds uhh interesting. Well, see you later." Arnold waved, while pulling his girlfriend along.

"I can't believe that freak didn't get eaten alive by mosquitos when we went to San Lorenzo!" Helga scowled, suddenly remembering her trip.

Arnold stopped the walk as he turned and asked "San Lorenzo? You remember the trip?!"

Helga paused a moment as she replied "Kind of."

"Do you remember being there with me?" he asked anxiously.

"Uhhh no?" she replied regretfully, seeing him sigh deeply.

The two of them then made it to the boarding house. Arnold gestured for her to stand back, while she cocked her brow in curiosity. After seeing the wide stream of pets pour out, Helga stood there thinking to herself _Crimity! What the heck is he doing with all these animals?_

As they entered the boarding house, Arnold took Helga into the kitchen to see Phil.

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey shortman! Shortman's girlfriend!"

Normally Helga would blush at such a remark. She was still having a hard time believing she was in a relationship however.

"I'm going to take Helga upstairs for a while grandpa." Arnold replied, not feeling the need to mention her amnesia.

"Hmm alright then. I'll just be readin' my stories, tryin' to avoid your grandma." Phil explained.

"Uhh right grandpa."

When Arnold made it upstairs with Helga, her eyes circled his bedroom. She had seen it several times before, yet nothing stood out that made her remember her boyfriend.

While Arnold was grabbing something from his desk, Helga decided to take a seat on the bed, still looking around the room.

"I found this outside your house yesterday. It must have fallen out of your shirt when you fell." he began to explain as he walked towards his girlfriend.

Helga cocked her brow, wondering what he could be about to show her.

"I meant to bring it to you today. I was just so anxious to see you, I forgot about it." he said, as he held out her locket.

Helga looked at the gold heart shaped piece of jewelry with her boyfriend's picture inside.

As he handed it to her, she sat there looking at it, trying to think of a time she had worn this.

"I'm sorry I forgot to give it to you. I hope you're not mad." he said twiddling his thumbs.

An annoyed look grew on her face as she replied "Shut up football he…"

Her eyes immediately flashed as the memory of her boyfriend came back to her. The memory of her treasured piece of jewelry which she had held dear to her heart to remind her of the special person who had always been a part of her life.

The memories of spending years writing poem after poem filled with conflicted emotions about the extreme feelings she possessed for him. Be it the annoyance of his Goody Two Shoes attitude or her deep desires for him to share with her his optimistic personality.

The nights she spent speaking to sculptures made of her beloved. Things she believed would be the only way she could reveal her deepest darkest secret to him with actually having to summon the strength to do it.

Arnold's eyes lit with anticipation and hope as he watched her stop in the middle of her sentence.

Helga looked over to wrap her arms around her boyfriend as she screamed "Oh Arnold! I remember!"

Arnold had never felt such relief before. As he hugged her tight, she didn't hesitate to pull him in for a long passionate kiss. One that once again brought a special feeling to her heart that only he could create. As she released his lips, the two shared a look of content in their eyes.

Helga placed her hand on Arnold's face, as she listened to him say "I'm so happy you remember me."

Kissing him once more, she replied "Me too football head."

"I have to ask, was it the locket or the insulting nickname?" Arnold asked curiously.

"It was actually your worry wart behavior when you handed it back to me. It can be just as annoying as it can entrancing." she smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Whatever you say Helga." he sighed as he began to rub her arm, relieved to have his girlfriend back.


End file.
